Tag Archives: Earthy

Cold Winter, Glen Moray, Need To Bundle Up

Glen Moray – 8yo Chenin Blanc, Distillery Only, Single Cask bottled at 60.7% ABV

Image shown is not of the actual bottle itself but shows you what the Glen Moray distillery bottlings look like.

Speyside region – 60.7%ABV – £60 (distillery only)

Many people in the states have not heard of Glen Moray or if they have, they only know of their 12yo whisky (a solid, solid whisky if you ask me).

Most people in the UK think of Glen Moray as the supermarket single malt.  A bargain malt, if you will.

My initial experience with Glen Moray was quite different…

It started with a chance purchase of a single cask expression.  While at the time I had not known much about the distillery, I was attracted to this single cask of Glen Moray as the whisky had spent its full 13 years of life in a new charred oak cask.  Sort of like a Scottish bourbon, I thought.

Yes, obviously, nothing like a bourbon being that the distillate is 100% malted barley but perhaps a bit like an American whiskey in that the maturation took place inside a new charred oak cask (a very un-Scotch whisky thing to do, mind you).  The cask choice intrigued me so I had to buy a bottle.

In four words: I fell in love.

After this my friend David B treated me to their standard 12yo and even at lower 40% ABV — I am usually an anti-40% ABV elitist-whisky-geek prick but often find myself enjoying the strength.  A difficult position to be in… perhaps I’m a mystery broken into a jigsaw puzzle, wrapped in a conundrum, hidden in a Chinese box, a riddle — I found it to be robust, well balanced and had an amazing mouthfeel.  Thanks again David, I am a convert.

Since then I have had my good share of Glen Moray whiskies.

During my last trip to Scotland I had the good chance to visit their amazing distillery which had, perhaps, one of the most beautiful distillery welcome centers (Iain, you’ve done a bang up job!) I had ever seen.

While at their distillery shop I had the chance to taste the following whisky: Glen Moray Chenin Blanc Distillery Only Single Cask bottled at 60.7% ABV.

At only 260 bottles and being a distillery only bottle… this stuff is like hens teeth!

On the nose — Earthy, pungent & sweet.  This is big and bold – a powerful smelling 8yo whisky.

Fresh cut (green) tubers come to mind as I sniff this whisky as do white cherries but, and perhaps more so, white raisins make quite an impression.

(I’m fairly positive that the preceding sentence was grammatically incorrect in some way.  Please forgive me.)

Golden birch, cinnamon sweetened fruit biscuits and the distinct smell of a burning cotton t-shirt.

On the mouth — Well, if I thought the nose was big and bold, it’s a veritable pussy cat compared to the attack of this whisky upon first sip.  Massive stuff!

It let’s you know that it’s 60.7% ABV.  It’s not hot, just *incredibly* forceful.

More (dark) birch beer, quite spicy and drying with touches of over cinnamoned french toast, maple sugar candies and honey reduction.

It’s almost like drinking hi-octane Chenin Blanc except that the malt content is quite obvious (yet so is the cask effect).

Finish — Very sweet and filled with boozy peaches.  Long too.  Let’s not forget that bit!

In sum —  Sweet and puckering stuff.  You might want to put on your big boy/girl boots before delving in!  A little bit goes a long way.  You’re going to want to spend time with this one.

Whether you choose to add water or not is up to you.  I decided not to but a little bit might help (as you’ll learn from the review over at guidscotchdrink.com and another great review from Matt and Karen at Whisky For Everyone.)

Special thanks goes out to IA for the sample – cheers!

Arran, Autumn, Springtime

The final in the Icons of Arran Series – The Golden Eagle

Islands region – 46% ABV – £41 (£34 excluding VAT – Value Added Tax) – not sold in US shops…

Let’s hear it for the fourth and final Icon of Arran bottling!

They started off with the “Peacock” then went onto the “Rowan Tree”.  “The Westie” did not have its tail between its legs when he appeared as the third Icon of Arran and following that one is this: The Golden Eagle.

If you look closely on any Arran bottle, you’ll see that, embossed in the glass of the bottles, there are birds.  Those birds are the famous Golden Eagles that nest themselves around the distillery.  On any given day, if you look up in the sky, you’ll see those beauties flying about.  They fly so strong and sure – gorgeous creatures and a fitting end the the title of the last Icon of Arran.

On the nose –  Incredibly soft (like sniffing the softness of a baby’s behind… sans the poop and such).

I detect and interesting mix of tangerines and light incense (sandalwood – again, light).

Baby aspirin (orange cream) followed by some pear candies and a tad spice of spice…

On the mouth – Great mouthfeel – very… Arran.  Very full/viscous.

This flavors here follow the lead of what I got on the nose – very soft and delicate, *subdued*.

The Arran apples are here in baked form (I often find apples in Arran whiskies).

Fresh rain on a spring day.

Reminiscent of many Arrans I’ve had but a much more restrained version. Like and aerated chocolate bar, if you catch my meaning… it’s still a chocolate bar but something is different about it, the flavors are held back/elusive.

Finish – Speaking of chocolate, there’s a touch of milk chocolate on the finish which, by the way, is medium in length.

In sum – This is such an easy going whisky!  Perfect on a cool spring night or a warm fall evening and a good entree for your friends that are scared to try Scotch whisky.

For me, I was hoping for a bit more presence for the final Icon – something that would go out in a bang.  Then again, perhaps the goal was to match the elegance of the Golden Eagles that fly about the Arran distillery.  If this is the case, Arran has met their goal.

Special thanks to JJY for the sample!  

Speaking of JJY, you can check out his review over at guidscotchdrink.com

 

Autumn, Glenrothes

Chieftain’s Range (4th release for the US) – Glenrothes 12yo single cask # 16415, first fill sherry

Speyside region – 46%ABV – $53 – $67 (pretty wide spread here – I’ve provided a link to the store that offers it for $53)

What is “Chieftain’s“?  Chieftain’s is a well respected and award winning independent bottler owned by Ian MacLeod Distillers (the same people that own Glengoyne) and have the good fortune of being able to choose their whiskies from one of the largest (if not THE largest) whisky warehouses in Scotland: The Ian MacLeod warehouse which houses many tens of thousands of casks of whisky at any given time.  That’s a nice position to be in for an independent bottler!

This single cask of The Glenrothes interestingly enough, was bottled at 46% ABV rather than cask strength.  When it comes to independent bottlers, and as ABV’s are concerned, Chieftain’s seems to do things a bit different.  As a rule of thumb, most indy bottlers will bottle single casks at 40%, 43%, 45%, 46%, 50% or cask strength and they will stick to that ABV for nearly every release.

Rules, however are meant to be broken.  Chieftain’s seems to bounce around a bit and will bottle somewhere between Cask Strength and 46% depending on the release, yet they are always non-chill filtered (thankfully) and have no added coloring.

As mentioned, this whisky was bottled at 46%; a full 3% higher than nearly all OB bottlings of The Glenrothes (and again, non-chill filtered and no added coloring).  Let’s see what happens.

On the nose –  Seems very true to the Glenrothes house style – Soft sherry, saw dust and slivovitz (plum brandy) fill the nostrils.

It’s like an off-the-shelf, owner’s bottling, Glenrothes with a bit of a kick (the extra 3% ABV points, perhaps?).

Notes that I usually associate with a nice Sassacaia wine – cedar wood, cherries, earthy chocolate.

Fresh birch tree bark (golden birch).

On the mouth – Decent attack with a touch of burn and mild viscosity.

While this isn’t a peated whisky, I’m struck with some coal soot from the start then a slight metallic quality (household knives and forks).

After that I’m presented with spiced apple sauce and spice drops.

Bitter chocolate (80% cocoa bars).

Cedar bark and fresh gardening mulch.

Finish – Bitters and a touch of mint.  Decent length.

In sum – Comparable in experience to The Glenrothes standard 90’s vintages out now – the Glenrothes quality really shines through and if that’s your bag – you’re in for a treat here!  While I think of sherried whiskies as digestifs, I’m more apt to suggest this as an aperitif.

Special thanks goes out to Impex Beverages for the sample!

The Scotch Tasting Bums seemed to like this one.

A World of Discovery, Cold Winter, GlenDronach, Let's celebrate!

A couple of groovy GlenDronach Single Cask whiskies to keep you warm this winter…

‘Tis the season to be FREEZING YOUR A$$ OFF!

Good G-d, y’all, it’s cold here in Connecticut.  We’re talking 15°F (-9°C for the rest of the world).

You may remember that we have, here on the blog, a place for you to go and find the perfect whisky to suit your mood or the season we happen to be in (you can click the image below to get a larger view of it).

We hope that that link will help you to pair whisky with your life.  Like pairing a nice heavy bodied Cabernet Sauvignon with a dish of Pasta Fra Diavolo, we feel it’s important to pair whisky with what’s going on in your life.

Did your daughter just graduate from college?  I’d suggest some Glenmorangie 18yo or Lagavulin 21yo (if you can find a bottle).

Perhaps someone rear-ended you on the way home from work – I’d say pour some Port Charlotte PC7 or some George T. Stagg bourbon.

Or maybe, like today, it’s just damn cold out and you feel you need to warm up/bundle up – There’s always some Ardbeg Alligator or Glenfarclas 25yo.

Failing the Ardbeg and Glenfarclas, I might suggest the following two chilly weather, super sherried, warmers:

1992 GlenDronach – 19yo, Cask #161 – 59.2% ABV – £??

On the nose –  Wow, this is a HUGE nose (we’re talking about the whisky not my big Jew nose)!  Massive notes of apricot jam, a bit of wood smoke, pool water, clean church pews, a toasty baguette and salted and tinned nutty notes.

Really massive. Can not impress that upon you enough.

Deep, sweet berries  (raspberry and lingonberry) boiled with sugar and pectin – making berry preserves/jam!

Some dried fruit in here but not as much as expected (not a bad thing – this is a great nose).

On the mouth – Like high octane sherry upfront.  Chocolate – like drinking Cocoa Pebbles cereal.

Molasses and buckwheat honey (if you mixed the two).  You’d never know that this is almost 60% Alcohol (120 proof).

Lebkuchen, more lebkuchen (perfect for this time of year) and Jaffa cakes.

Tons of nutmeg and ginger and spice (ginger snap cookies?).

Finish – Very, very long – spicy, chocolatey and with some more apricots – like warmed apricot and walnuts really.

In sum – Can I just say… ummm… wow.  One of the best sherried single cask whiskies I’ve had this year (if not *the* best).  It’s like drinking a wood paneled study and an over stuffed leather chair (I imagine Oxford or Yale professors marveling over this one while discussing quantum mechanics).  A contemplative dram and winter-warmer-upper for sure.

You may want to scour the whisky auction houses or eBay for this one as it seems to be all sold out – the beauty and difficulty of single cask whiskies.

1991 GlenDronach – 19yo, Cask #2406 – 55.4% ABV – £88 (£73 ex-VAT tax)

On the nose –  A bit of an alcoholic nose (you can sense that the ABV is pretty high on this one).

Balsamic vinegar doused shoe leather – if you’re able to imagine such a combination…  Sweet and a tad herbal but the sweetness overtakes with notes of spiced dates and fig jam and a few dashes of white pepper.

Some citrus in here as well with hints of key lime but mostly a marmalade note (again, spiced).

With water the nose warms up quite a bit.  That vinegar I got is gone and the peppery quality is boosted and there is an addition of milk chocolate here now.

Coming back again after a few sips and there is clearly some Sioux City Sarsaparilla Soda notes wafting about.

On the mouth – This is a hot one that’s got a good deal of sweetness on the front but the heat is a bit much to get past to dissect.  Let’s add a squirt or two of water…

Worlds of difference!  A multitude of steeped hot teas and some licorice notes (licorice tea?).  Nice chewiness to the fluid.

More chocolate and some red fruits (almost a bit winey).  Fresh tobacco down the center of the tongue with a nice drying effect as we near the finish line…

Finish – Long and spicy on the sides of the tongue with the tobacco as a nice lasting note.

In sum – I’m not sure if this is a 1st fill or 2nd fill sherry butt.  Based on the color, I’d say it as 2nd fill or just not an overly active cask.  However, the quality of the spirit shines through here and I enjoyed the spiciness to this whisky.  It’s not my favorite GlenDronach but one that I could find myself reaching for when I’m looking for a bit of an invigorating malt.  Perfect as a morning pick me up or one to warm up before you head out to shovel the winter’s snow fall.

A World of Discovery, All You Need Is Love, Glenmorangie, Let's celebrate!

1981 Glenmorangie Pride

Highland region – 56.7%ABV – $2699 | £2500 (limited to 1000 bottles)

Yes, yes, I know… the bottle looks like something off of Sephora’s website.  And yes, I’m sure LVMH could have saved a £50-60 (maybe more) putting the whisky into a slightly simpler vessel.

I’m not posting here to talk about the whys & whatfors of corporate marketing.  Yes, I do work in sales & marketing and I understand the whys & whatfors but I’d prefer to focus on the liquid that Dr. Bill Lumsden created, not what the good folks at LVMH have cracked up to sell the stuff – as smart and fancy as it is.

Glenmorangie Pride 1981 is a 28yo whisky that was aged for 18 years in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels and then extra-matured exclusively in Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes casks for an additional 10 years before being bottled at 56.7% ABV.  Sounds sexy to me!

Color – Deep gold with tints of green (I don’t always mention color but this is some attractive fluid!)

On the nose –  Thick jams (quince and even some fig).  Black strap molasses and ginger snap cookies (spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon).  Sweet, sweet marzipan.

Damp and earthy.  Man, I am taken by this nose.  This juice demands your attention.  Part of me doesn’t even want to dissect it, I just want to enjoy it as a whole.

But carry on, I will…

The Glenmorangie character is strong here and will not be ignored: Think citrus zest and even some peach; thoroughly ripe and juicy peach.

Walnut oil and even a bit of sauternes-drown golden raisin.

Vanilla extract and in the distance, toasted oak and almonds.

Coming back to the nose after a sip and there’s a very noticeable high lemon note just floating on top of it all.

On the mouth – Thick and insanely mouth coating – it’s invading every part of my mouth (like that scene in The Matrix where the liquid metal is taking over Keanu Reeves’ body until it goes down his throat).

Sticky sweet jams (like the ones mentioned above).  A touch of citrus but not as much as on the nose.

Creamy, creamy but also a bit like thick honey when it starts to crystalize (tiny, tiny sugar crystals throughout the honey).

Speaking of honey, this stuff oozes with it.

Warm apricot jam over toasted almonds.

As the fluid starts to go from juicy sweet to drying on to the finish, booze soaked oak notes round out the flavor experience.

Finish – Long, drying, warm; and sitting like a king on the top/back portion of my tongue is the actual sauternes itself – apricots, peach, nuts and woody tannins.  After a short bit, an interesting watermelon note popped up followed but some of that lemon note I got on the nose.

In sum – I can see why Dr. Bill Lumsden refers to this whisky as his “Pride”.  If this whisky were a college bound student, she would have full scholarships to the Ivy League school of her choosing.  This is so balanced, so well constructed and thoroughly enjoyable.  Pride is as full and robust as it gets (without peat or sherry).

I come back to this over and over again, Sauternes finishes are my absolute favorite.  Done right (like this whisky here), and it’s light years ahead of nearly any sherried whisky I’ve had.

There are only 1000 bottles of this stuff on G-d’s green earth and if you can find & afford one, I won’t say no; I’d accept the gift very graciously :).  However, if you decided to keep the stuff for yourself, I would not blame you at all.

I will suggested, however, that you open this for the most celebratory of occasions but what’s more is that you NEED to open this.  Don’t just buy and collect because NOT tasting this stuff (if you have the $$ to afford it) is doing yourself an injustice.

Huge thanks goes out to David Blackmore for the sample!